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Thursday, August 26, 2010

A Missed Opportunity at the R and D Camp and Thursday Thoughts - Tweet-Up Tonight

With the NHL's Research and Development camp a week behind us, I have come to realize that what I feel is the most pressing issue in the NHL was not even addressed.

Once again, it is time for me to bitch about overtime games being worth three points while regulation games are only worth two. This time I have a little different take on the subject as a result of what was done at last weeks camp.

One of the more popular experiments at the R and D Camp was the addition of five minutes of three on three hockey after the initial five minutes of four on four play in order to avoid as many games being decided with a shoot-out.

There was also a piece where the goalies would change ends for overtime in order to bring the "long change" into play which historically has led to more scoring in the second period of games. This move would also be done to cut down the number of shoot out games.

While I like both of these suggestions, I feel that changing the points system to three points for a regulation win and a 2/1 split of points in overtime and shoot-out games would bring more of what fans desire into the game than anything else and it would require no on-ice changes.

As it currently stands, when a game is tied past the 10:00 mark of the third period, you see many teams act like a turtle and suck back into a defensive minded, low risk scheme, in order to get to overtime and take home at least a point for evening's effort.

The Predator's Barry Trotz is a brilliant tactician and is the master of shutting down the opponent, not only at the end of the game, but also in overtime because he likes his chances in the shoot-out with Pekka Rinne in net.

Conversely, if all games were worth three points, and a team was playing a conference rival, a completely different mindset would exist at the same 10:00 minute mark. With a chance to put an extra three points on a lead over an opponent or the chance to make up three points in the standings, you would see the equivalent of playoff hockey as the clock wound down in a tie game.

This would kill two birds with the same stone. You would have fewer games decided in a shoot-out and you would see the addition of playoff-style hockey throughout the season.

While I think it is a great idea, I don't see it being adopted simply because the league likes the fact that the current system rewards mediocre teams and allows them to stay in the hunt for a playoff slot further into the season. Gary Bettman has repeated this reasoning each time he has been asked in recent years.

This week's change in the tie-breaker rules to not include shoot-out wins was merely an appeasement to folks that think as I do and is a clear signal that nothing of substance will change in the point totals any time in the near future.

Unfortunately, the NHL is missing an opportunity to bring more action into the game and have fewer games end up being decided in a one-on-one skills competition.

Tweet-Up Tonight at The Sounds Game...

Please join a group of us going to the Nashville Sounds game tonight. I have been talking to the Sounds and they are a bit baffed about the Tweet-up concept and aren't used to such a loosely tied group coming together for a game.

They are perfectly clear on how to see 25 tickets to one person who will give them to everyone else, but are devising a plan for everyone to show up and buy tickets and then sit together. I should hear back with answers by noon today and will post the info at the Twitvite site as well as on Twitter. If anyone has additional questions, feel free to contact me.

The Preds site has Tom Callahan interviewing David Poile after the Patric Hornqvist signing. According to Cap Geek, Hornqvist will make $3 million the next two seasons and $3.25 million in 2012-13 for a cap hit of $3,o83,333 for each of the three years.

The hiring of Fehr sent shock waves through the hockey community and it was no accident that it was announced while the whole hockey world was in Toronto at the Summit. Betman threw down the gauntlet with the Kovalchk rejection and this is the NHLPA's response. Bettman vs. Fehr will be a match of two of the most ruthless negotiators in the sports world and the real possibility of a lockout looms in the summer of 2012.

Puck Daddy looks back at a few items in Donald Fehr's past that led to the premature end of the baseball season in 1994. Fehr will have his work cut out for him as the NHLPA is very fractured at this point and the escrow payments are killing many of the players on the lower end of the spectrum. Mirtle has more at the Globe and Mail.

The NHL national television schedule was released and the Predators have only one game set, that being at the Bridgestone center on Thanksgiving Eve. Steve Lapore at Puck The Media has all the breakdowns and will have further analysi today. He is the unmistakable leader on all things media in the NHL.

Here is a different, easy to use site for tracking satellites that is much easier to use than the one I have used in the past. The International Space Station should be easy to view tonight for folks in Tennessee.

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